These Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes are family friendly and made with an easy homemade sauce that is perfectly sweet and tangy. They come together quickly making them ideal for busy weeknights. Everyone at the table will love these saucy sandwiches.
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Why We Love These Turkey Sloppy Joes
- Quick and easy: ready in 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights.
- Homemade sauce: a perfect balance of sweet and tangy, and so much better than anything from a can.
- Family friendly: kids and adults both enjoy these saucy sandwiches.
- Crowd Pleasing: these sandwiches are perfect for pot lucks and parties!
- Versatile: we love them served on buns or Hawaiian rolls, but they would be delicious served over baked potatoes or mac-n-cheese too.
- Make it ahead: the filling reheats beautifully, making leftovers just as tasty.
Turkey Sloppy Joe Recipe Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Ground Turkey
- Onion
- Green Pepper
- Garlic
- Mustard Powder
- Paprika
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Tomato Paste
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Chicken Broth
- Ketchup
Substitution Suggestions
- Olive Oil: Any neutral oil will work. Avocado, vegetable or canola are all good options.
- Ground Turkey: This recipe can be used with ground chicken, ground beef, ground pork or a blend of ground meat.
- Onion: If you don't want pieces of onion in your sandwiches you can use 1 teaspoon of onion powder or a tablespoon of dried minced onions.
- Green Pepper: Any color of bell pepper will work!
- Garlic: If you don't have any fresh garlic, you can use a teaspoon of garlic powder or 2 teaspoons of dried minced garlic.
- Mustard Powder: If you don't have any mustard powder you can use a teaspoon of yellow mustard or Dijon mustard.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: White vinegar or red wine vinegar can also be used. You could even use fresh lemon juice.
- Chicken Broth: Beef broth, bullion with water or straight water can be used.
- Ketchup: I like to use Hunt's natural ketchup. Use your favorite ketchup or tomato sauce will work too.
How to Make Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the ground turkey, diced onions and green peppers. Crumble turkey and cook until no longer pink and the veggies are soft, about 6-8 minutes. Drain any liquid if needed.
- Next, add the minced garlic, mustard powder, paprika, salt and black pepper. Sauté for a minute until the garlic is fragrant.
- Then stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, chicken broth and ketchup.
- Bring the mix to a bubble then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6-8 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Watch it carefully so it doesn't reduce too much and become dry.
- Serve on hamburger buns or Hawaiian rolls.
Serving Turkey Sloppy Joes
I prefer to serve my sloppy joes on an untoasted brioche bun. I like the sauce to soak into the bun! However, if you like toasted buns then lightly toast them. Some of my family likes to add a slice of cheese to their sloppy joes. I don't, I like them straight up on a plain bun. If you like cheese, give it a try and tell me what you think.
Here are some other delicious ways to serve these turkey sloppy joes:
- Over a baked potato.
- Mixed with some Homemade Mac-n-Cheese.
- Over Cornbread or Cheesy Corn Muffins.
- Make sloppy joe nachos!
- Add it to the middle of a Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
What to Serve with Turkey Sloppy Joes
Any potato or veggie side dish will pair well with these sloppy joes. Here are some of our favorites:
- Crispy Oven Fries
- Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
- Classic Potato Salad
- Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans
- Air Fryer Potatoes
- Simple green salad, potato chips or fresh fruit and veggies with dip.
If you love sloppy joes like my family does don't miss these other recipes! These Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes are absolutely delicious and so fast to make! This recipe for Italian Sloppy Joes is a fun twist with the meat served on cheesy garlic bread. Then there is this easy crock pot recipe for Pizza Joes! The flavors of pizza infused with a saucy beef mixture!
Storing Turkey Sloppy Joes
Storing: Store any leftover meat mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat the meat over low heat on the stove or in the microwave until heated through. Add some extra chicken broth or water if needed.
Freezing: If you have a lot of extra meat it freezes wonderfully! Place the cooled meat mixture in a freezer safe airtight container zip top bag, label, date and freeze. I like to use the freezer bags because you freeze them flat and they store easier and take up less space in my freezer.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- I've had my Rachael Ray pots and pans since my wedding in 2010 and I love them. They've held up great and they're affordable. I really also love this deep skillet and my cast iron skillet.
- A garlic press works great if you want to use fresh garlic and not have to chop it. I use a Pampered Chef one but this garlic press from OXO is great too!
- This meat chopper is the tool for breaking up and browning ground meats.
More Ground Turkey Recipes:
- Easy Turkey Meatloaf
- Teriyaki Turkey Bowls
- Ground Turkey Chili
- Mini BBQ Turkey Meatloaves
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
- Easy Turkey Burgers
- Turkey Salisbury Steaks
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Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- ½ large green pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup ketchup
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add the ground turkey, diced onions and green peppers. Crumble turkey and cook until no longer pink and the veggies are soft, about 6-8 minutes. Drain any liquid if needed.
- Add the minced garlic, mustard powder, paprika, salt and black pepper. Sauté for a minute until the garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, chicken broth and ketchup. Bring the mix to a bubble then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6-8 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened to coat the back of a spoon. Watch it carefully so it doesn't reduce too much and become dry.
- Serve on hamburger buns or Hawaiian rolls.
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